


Like the Moon Chases the Sun

by trashofficial



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Eventual Sexual Content, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Reylo - Freeform, Slow Burn, stick around for a bit. pop a squat. let the story unfold.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashofficial/pseuds/trashofficial
Summary: The Force has awoken in the galaxy like the Sun dawning on a new day and the Moon continues to stalk just a breath behind. She is the light he claws at from the darkness.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story I'm publishing to anyone let alone a website. I hope y'all enjoy!

     The silence was thick, unwavering, and denser than the smog that hung low over the island. Not even the waves crashing upon the rocky base of the mass or the whistling breeze could break the barricade of quiet. And after moments of standing before the cloaked man, her arm at attention and the saber grasped firmly between clammy digits and palm, a break in the pressure was all she could have wished for.

      _Something_. Rey needed something from him other than his intense gaze through aged hues and a hesitant disposition. Through her own gaze of desperation, green optics pleading louder than her lips could, Rey watched the man of whom she once believed was a mere myth. Like the bedlam that has been the past few days of her life, he very well may have been a twisted figment of her imagination.

     But none of it was a dream, she concluded promptly thereafter. In her nineteen years of life, the dreams that occupied her unconscious state were unlike that of the surreal experiences she's been having as of late. She could sense the Force radiating off of him, radiating all around them as if it were inhabiting the air she breathed; almost tangible. No, it certainly wasn’t a dream, and Luke Skywalker really was stood before her. Of these two things she was certain, despite how incredibly ludicrous they were and how easily they could have been dismissed by anyone who had not experienced them first hand with a scoff, a laugh, or both because this didn’t happen. Especially not to orphaned scavenger girls.

     Yet, here she was, waiting for the story to unfold further with bated breath.

     “Please.” Rey began, her body inclined in the man’s direction in hopes that he would take what was rightfully his. “This is your—”

     “My saber.” He didn’t make to collect it.

     No matter. She was transfixed on thetimbreof his voice: calm but worn. If she were to have wondered prior what he’d sound like, well, she now knew. But his short reply brought her a step closer. The barrier became a wall with a viewport.

     Maker, Rey didn’t know just where to begin. Truth be told, she hadn’t quite thought about what she’d say to him when the time came. It was only when she climbed the weathered steps grown into the terrain that she became aware of what exactly she was doing. In that moment, at least.

    “Here.” Her voice was small, but a shout compared to the stillness they shared shortly before.Luke did grasp onto the hilt with a reluctant hand. She couldn’t blame him. Because if she were going to be honest, Rey was reluctant too. However, her reluctance pertained to more than just holding this lightsaber.The breakthrough, though it was small, wasn’t a breakthrough at all, really. He returned to his taciturn state, leaving Rey’s anxiousness unwavering after all.

     "Where did you...?" The Jedi scanned the saber, his expression damn near unreadable. It had to have evoked some sort of nostalgia whether it was wanted or not.

     "I found it on the planet of Takodana. A woman called Maz Kanata kept it in a chest below her castle. It...called to me." Rey's own eyes grew wide as she gave her hasty explanation, hoping it would provoke conversation. Alas, it did not as Luke continued to examine the hilt with an attentive eye. Apparently, the saber was more interesting than anything she had to say. 

     Her lips were dry but she'd wet them with her tongue, preparing herself to speak once more.  

    “Luke, I need your help. The galaxy needs your help.”She sounded stronger when she took her time to speak and to say exactly what was on her mind. There was no reason to beat around any of the bushes on the island. And she was only speaking truths. She needed Luke’s guidance and in that, he could help the galaxy. Luke’s expression had not contorted in the slightest and Rey was left to wonder if he knew just how terrible things were, how terrible they were going to get.

     “I cannot help you, child. There is a reason I’m bound to this island.”

     Rey knew his reasoning. She recalled what Han had told her and Finn aboard the Falcon. It was difficult not to remember every moment she spent with the infamous smuggler before his life was taken. Rey wondered if Luke knew that…Just how adept was his intuition while in solitude from...well, everything?

    “But you can help! The Resistance needs your help. I-I need your help, your guidance.”

     Could Rey truly hold his hesitance against him? He’d spent years exiled by his own doing after the massacre of his students. His apprentices were murdered, taken from him. Perhaps his leave was conducted because of the immense guilt. Perhaps it was because the man was now alone and it was better to choose to be alone than to have been left that way. Her plea wasn’t a chance at redemption presented on a golden platter to Luke, for he had no reason to be redeemed. He hadn’t been the one to take his saber blade to his apprentices. This was a plea for a hero to return to the people who needed him most.

     But he continued to refuse by way of silence just as heavy as earlier. His expression was pained, as if he were repressing words, repressing his acceptance. Rey could feel it, hear it as if he were telling her himself, let alone see it as clear as day with her own two eyes. She knew Luke didn’t really want to leave the galaxy high and dry.

     “Go now, young one. The Resistance needs all the help they can get.” Luke spoke almost mournfully, regret soaking every syllable he uttered.

     Rey huffed, pink lips pursing, addled by him.

     “Don’t you want to help? There are forces working in the First Order that the Resistance alone can’t fight. Not for long, at least.”The girl eluded to influences of which she was positive Luke was aware of. The mere vague mention of him…Rey swallowed away the gasp pushing up her throat and bid away the surge of overwhelming chills threatening to quake through her form. The base was destroyed along with everything and everyone on it. Rey witnessed his fall and in her escape, watched the trees, the ground, and all else in between swallow him. Or so she recalled; _hoped._

     As if he were ashamed, and she wouldn't have been surprised if he were, Luke averted his eyes.“I'm sorry but it isn't my time to return. I am of no use."

 _No use? Was **Luke Skywalker** serious or was he throwing himself a perpetual pity party?  _ Rey's mouth was agape, her head cocked forward. She wasn't asking an abject question. Rey couldn't imagine the hurt and guilt he felt after the attack. But did he not know it wasn't his fault? She hadn't spoken the question out loud, but Luke, unbeknownst to her, had heard it as if she spoke it and didn't waste time in opening his mouth once more.

     "You couldn't possibly understand.”

     Rey was capable of understanding plenty and then some. It was a matter of just how much information one was willing to disclose to her. But she wasn’t asking for any sort of explanation from him even if she was curious and could muster up thousands of questions to inquire. It wasn't the time to ask a complete strange to recap prominent emotional traumas they'd gone out of their way to tuck into their past and hide from. But he was all alone. And on an _island_ , no less. How could he run from something that was embedded deep within him?

  
     “Don’t _you_ understand? The galaxy is at **war**. Everyone has been scouring the galaxy searching for you. You left a map and we tracked you here and you’re not even going to consider coming back?” She implored, a glint of despondence in her orbs. 

     Baffled was the young woman. Within seconds, years of luster about the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker had worn away to a small reflection in the light. She was not frustrated entirely for her own sake, but for the sake of those who worked tirelessly day in and day out to find him and ensure his return. Perhaps she really didn’t understand. And to be insensitive wasn’t a trope Rey had. Then again, she couldn’t be insensitive and undermine the Resistance’s determination. Luke had lost many people, but they'd lose even more without his help.

     “I cannot teach you.”

     “You can’t or you won’t?”

**Nothing.**

     Rey clenched her jaw, gritting her teeth from behind closed lips. If Luke had felt like a failure, then Rey had felt the same. All she’d endured, all she’d uncovered, all she’d managed to accept within mere days came to a violent halt when her request for enlightenment was denied, when the galaxy’s request for their hope to be restored was denied.

     There were several beats before she finally turned on her heel, backtracking down the hill. Ironic, it was. She was finished for the day, but there was always tomorrow. The young woman had always seemed to awaken each morning with replenished optimism. Besides, It would have taken more than that interaction to push her away.Now, as she walked, each step she took led her farther and farther away from where she needed to be but there was no sense in staying where she wasn’t wanted, was there?

     In this instance, _of course there was_.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

     Back aboard the Falcon, Rey was greeted with soft beeps and fretfully curious rumbles. The pair of companions must have known by the trudge of her boots upon the durasteel ramp that things didn’t go the way they had anticipated. But what were they really anticipating?  

     She responded to their expected inquires with a sigh. Though, she knew in a short amount of time that she’d have to report back to the General with a verbal reply. What was she to tell her? There were a million ways to go about it but it all boiled down to Luke rejecting not only Rey request for enlightenment and tutelage, but the Resistance, as well as the galaxy. Rey felt guilty having to relay that message; like she could have done more. But was there a proper way to persuade a Jedi Knight to return to civilization after years of voluntary isolation?

     On a less formal note, Leia was going to be informed that her brother would not come back to her. She was now without any member of her family. And in that moment of realization, Rey couldn’t have related more to her. At least she was going to receive closure of some sort.

     “What do I say?” It was a groan to herself as she sat beside Chewie in the pilot’s chair, her head gravitating toward her tense fingers that began to knot in her tied up locks. She didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. _Bad news was better than no news._ At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

     "Alright,” Lithe fingers dug through the pouch slung across her torso, procuring form it a Holopad where, within seconds, a scaled down General Organa appeared in shades of blue.

     “General Organa, Chewbacca, Artoo and I have reached Ahch-To.”

     “I hope your travels were safe.”Despite the blue and static filled hologram of the stout woman, Rey could see the nervous twiddle of her thumbs. While Rey wholeheartedly believed Leia meant what she said, she knew that small talk was not on her mind. If only it were. Rey wondered just how long she could delay things before concluding that there was no use in stalling the inevitable.

     “I’ve spoken to Luke—”

     “Yes. You’ve met with him? Is he well? What did he say?” Bombarded with questions, Rey had answers for all of them. But she couldn’t promise they'd all be positive.

     “I have. He’s…he’s fine but…” 

     “But what? Is he ill? Should I send medics?” _Perhaps a few extra hands to help drag him off the island would be nice._

     “No, no he isn’t ill. Not that I saw of.” Though, he did resemble that of a hermit.

     “Then what is it?”

     Rey had an inkling the General already knew what she was going to tell her. Perhaps Leia simply needed to hear the words spoken aloud. If she couldn’t deliver her brother now, then she could at least give her that much.

     “He won’t return.”

     Leia must have expected this because she hadn't looked all too shocked. And come to think of it, she hadn't looked disappointed, either. Much to her relief, the tension in Rey's joints lessened and she readjusted herself in her seat, letting out a breath and canting her head to the side as she awaited Leia's next words. 

     “You mustn’t give up on him just yet. My brother…if he’s anything like me, you’ll find that he’s stubborn. I know this will sound silly because he's been away for years, but give it some time.”

     A marvel, that woman was. Rey hoped she could maintain the hope and positivity she exuded even after all she’d been through. Rey didn’t have to force a smile. And though it wasn’t necessarily a happy one, the twist of her lips was reassuring.  _Time_. If Leia said she had time to, then Rey would keep at it.  Rey hadn’t intended on up and leaving anyhow. And with the good counselling of Leia, she’d stay the night because things were usually (not always), brighter in the morning.

     The two ended their conversation on a note more uplifting than the one she’d shared with Luke; a promise to contact her the next day with any updates. Her Holopad was stowed back away in her satchel for safekeeping and Rey was left with the company of Chewie and R2.

 _Let me speak with him. I’ll get him to come back, It might be by force, but he’ll come back._ Chewie gurgled, earning a grin from Rey.

     “That’s actually not a bad idea, Chewie” Rey mused jocularly before registering that, should Luke continue to deny her, his suggestion may be their only option. “We might have to resort to that. But for now, we’ll give him some time just as the General suggested.”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

   When the day retired and the night started its shift, when she finally laid her head to rest upon the curl of her elbow, she dreamed of a place that was not Jakku, but the polar opposite. Quite literally, too. Only, she didn't register that she was dreaming. But she was thankful, even in her sleep, for Jakku was not a place she cared to dream about. Unlike the desert planet, dunes of sand were, instead, blankets of snow, soft and gentle. _Where was she?_   Rey couldn't quite say as her boot clad feet made their temporary mark in the powder lain before her, glowing.

     Stunning, because it was unlike the settings in which she was accustomed, the forest entrance piqued her interest. Rey dared to travel deeper into the brush. It was eerily still and not even the underside of her boots crunched with each step as she compacted the snow. But there was something familiar about the environment in which she dreamed, something more than just the brisk chill or the texture of the copious trees. The feeling was always there, creeping up on her in a steady crescendo until...

_Oh... **she knew.** And she chided herself briefly before the initial fear seeped into her just as the snow seeped into the wool of her shoes, rendering her toes numb. _

     Still, she began to run upon the uneasy sensation overcoming her and the surroundings seemed less of nature and more of obstacles, blurry in the darkness, in the wake of an ominous storm not too dissimilar from sandstorms on Jakku. Maker, she took it back. She'd rather have been back on Jakku tucked away in her makeshift home with a mouth full of a tasteless quarter portion. In her head, she scrunched her eyes as if to bid herself to transport. The girl was sorely disappointed when her eyes opened, snowflakes gathered in tiny clusters atop her lashes and a breath caught in her chest.

     And then she saw a flash of red that couldn't have been mistaken, especially against white. A shadow followed in suit, causing Rey to double take. Faceless was the black mass. Because how could she forget that face?  _His face._ Those eyes? That stare? Seconds earlier in her dream, in her subconscious, she was vaguely aware to whom this shadow belonged. Swiftly transitioning into a nightmare, Rey, subconscious and all, were fully aware to whom was stalking her in the pall of the trees. Crimson chased away the pure white hue in a violent rage.

_Now, she only had to decipher if the red she saw was light or blood._


	2. II

    _He’s had this dream before. His shadow’s been cast in mass large enough to rival even that of the trees towering above. The grounds in which he'd trodden down upon were known. He felt the quake of his force rumbling with each stomp of his boot to the snowy floor. He’s walked this path before, he knew each tree, each bush, each flake of snow. And with every hour of unconsciousness, what little there seemed to be nowadays, he grew closer and closer to what he was pursuing. To whom he was pursuing._

_His footsteps were heavy against the soft snow, his saber glowing red and furious at his side, **unstable**. But the Knight hadn’t the mental capacity to worry about his trusty saber now. It was like his father’s precious Falcon in that sense, he supposed. Bitterness stung at his sleeping tongue and the desire to spit could hardly be suppressed. _

_No rest would truly be had until he’d caught her despite the fact that this was only a dream. No rest for the wicked._

_Her presence was salient among the still forest. It had been before the forest, and remained so even after he was pulled from sleep, and after he was no longer lying on the cold hard ground bleeding out as he gazed lethargically at the branches silhouetting night sky while his surroundings crumbled around him. He himself, his body, the temple in which his tortured soul haunted, was crumbling._

_The man clad in black loomed, right on her tail and miles away all in that same instance. Rage coursed through his form just as strongly as it had every other night before, and his hand had a mind of its own, reaching out to grasp at the loose hair at the nape of the scavenger girl’s neck. Was it revenge he sought as his fingers wound themselves tightly into her locks?_

_Oddly, he didn’t have the urge to maim her like he had the traitor. In fact, his offer to her, deep down, stood. He would teach her, show her how to wield her power and wield a blade of her own design. Sleep couldn’t hinder the power emitting itself off of her. And he was drawn to her like moth to a flame, his crimson waves of fury and determination clawing and latching onto her in all ways he could manage._

_He maintained a grip on the screaming girl as she writhed, arms and legs swinging to gain back her freedom. Part of him, a large part, relished in her defiance, the way her supple form wrenched against his hold. The loss of his temper was put at bay. He was enamored by her, **the girl** , eyes like that of an owl's staring, ogling, below in wonder. Then the notion of setting her down came to mind. But where would she run? She couldn’t escape him. Perhaps in her physical and conscious state, yes. _

_He wouldn't stop. Not whilst sleeping. Not whilst awake. Not ever_.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    When Ren awoke from his slumber, he was lain in his own bed. Pooled around him were sheets of black, cool and glossy against his bare alabaster skin. Black. _Black_. **_Black_**. Unlike the white in which he hungrily strode moments ago in his mind. But he’d done it before. He’d lived it. 

     The Knight wasn’t angered to have been pulled awake, for he knew that when he laid himself to rest and allowed for sleep to overcome him that he’d lay his hands on her once more. But the frustration of the prolonged ending to this dream had yet to wear off, leaving Ren to wonder if there was an alternate ending or if she would ultimately escape him. And while he wanted closure, _he didn’t._

     Tenebrous hues still glazed over in sleep stared into the the ceiling above as he came to, it’s sleek overlay reflecting his image unto him. The newly tarnished visage was a truer depiction of his insides. _Monster_ she had called him. Well, the aqueous picture above was not too far off. But needn’t stare into his own face to know that there was a fissure etched into his skin by the desert rat. And by his own Grandfather’s saber, no less. 

     The abrasion was tender, the skin around it hot. It itched, and Ren would scratch, his calloused finger tips lingering there longer than the sensation permitted. He didn't know just what to think of it other than  a blemish to challenge the various freckles and moles upon his otherwise clear complexion. A deeply lodged wound, courtesy of a bowcaster, had left Ren weakened, but certainly not broken. _Well, not that he'd admit to breaking_. He slowly bled out, but continued to beat away at his oblique to impede his possible impending death because the saber and the girl were more important than his blood cell count (or lack thereof).

_Who knew a Wookiee had that good of an aim?_

     A great aim and the absolute worst timing to prove it.

     The laceration spanning in interrupted slashes from shoulder to forehead were the last of his wounds to heal but only because he couldn’t take another moment in the Med Bay.  If it weren’t for his Supreme Leader’s orders that he be treated, Kylo would have shaken it off the moment he was brought on board and retreated back to his chambers until called upon. 

     Hux had been the one to find Ren near death on the his shattering _toy_. Maker only knew how he found him among the chaos. If his rescue wasn't ordered, Ren would have added to the billions of shattered Starkiller pieces taking up space in the galaxy from one system to another.

     That's what Hux called it; _a rescue_. Force, what Kylo lost in blood, he compensated for with ego. He’d rather Captain Phasma have found him. _Or no one at all_ he'd mused with a shrug.The latter sounded the most preferable after endless times thinking about those final moments alone.

     It wasn’t that Kylo _wanted_ to die, but if he were to have perished, he wouldn’t have fought it. 

     He was given the prescription of daily checkups and bed rest by medical personnel. But the man wasn’t a woman nearing the end of her pregnancy and found the order quite absurd. When he left the Med Bay, on his own accord, he’d ripped the wiring from his chest and arms and even mustered enough strength to crush the droid writing the notes into his chart before his synthesized voice had a chance to beg him not to. 

     And since, he’d been brooding in his room, glaring into dead space from the viewport of the Finalizer with only a droid for company. After the first six he’d destroyed, Kylo would have thought Hux got the picture. Then again, he and Hux weren’t exactly too tentative toward one another’s wishes. The bastard would never live down his rescue of lowly and dying Kylo Ren. And though the man was a few inches shorter, by the grace of his _titanic head_ , he could manage to hold it over Ren's whenever he pleased and without even uttering a single word.

     “Ah, good to see you’re still alive and well.” Hux strolled in through the automatic sliding door as if on cue, Holopad in hand and prodded at the healing Commander in a mock chipper disposition. 

     Kylo merely glared in his direction, lifting himself from his bed to cover the broad expanse of his torso in a tunic neatly folded on his bedside table. 

     “I have _you_ to thank for that, General.” His tone was bland, facetious. 

     It hadn’t so much as elicited a glance from the ginger haired man as he typed away at his Holopad. Most likely jotting down notes for the sake of the medics who needed to keep track of their Commander's well being. The Order was in disarray after losing their base. And while they were well off in regards to soldiers and weapons, the blow didn't allow for them to take any more losses. Including, but not limited to, the droids that Kylo was so enjoying _playing_ with.

     “A gift from the staff in the Med Bay.” There was a hint of snarl present on his mouth as he handed a small cup of medication to Ren. He stared blankly down, glancing to the upside down words the man typed, his hand out and waiting. 

     Kylo wasn’t one to comply but the sooner he could get Hux out of his chambers, the better. And so, his thick fingers grasped the cup, lifting and tipping it into his mouth, sheathing the pills bellow his tongue before placing the unwanted container back into the General’s palm. Hux shot him a glare and Kylo internally smirked to himself without hinting at a trace of smugness on his face. But Hux knew better and would simply discard on his way out for the sake of saving himself a quarrel. 

     “The Supreme Leader wishes to have a word with you in the principal conference room within the hour. I do suggest at least _attempting_ to put yourself together now that you don’t have that.. _mask_.” The helmet became the least of his worried int hat final hour aboard Starkiller Base but now that he was safe, for the time being at least, he silently mourned the loss of the possession.

     The remaining members of the Order had been treading lightly and stealthily about the galaxy on and off world. Kylo Ren was to journey, when close enough in proximity, to the Supreme Leader’s true location. If he were to complete his training, completing it through hologram would not suffice. 

     Kylo was too concerned with what his meeting with Snoke would entail to shoot a retort in Hux’s direction. Truly, he’d much rather just _shoot_ him. But There wasn’t room for a dispute just before speaking to his master. Ren would need all the patience he could gather. Snoke was displeased with Kylo. His wrath, though inexplicably almost nonexistent, was nothing in comparison to the disappointment Kylo caused. Anger he could handle, but passive reprimanding hit too far to home. A home he thought he'd destroyed.

     There was a brief moment days earlier when Kylo was stood before his father, wishing to come to the light, to be redeemed. But his Leader came to him in a moment of struggle to guide him down the right path. Now, Kylo only sought redemption for his failure. 

     “I have no further business here, Ren. I’ll leave you to...prepare.” 

     Hux’s blue hues roamed over the force user with utter distaste, his voice laced with venom before turning on his heel. This snake’s insults were but that of a garden snake’s. Kylo’s angular jaw was clenched, nonetheless, the pills still shielded by his tongue.

     Once the General saw his way back into the corridors, Kylo spat the medication into his hand and tossed them down the drain in his fresher. He didn’t trust a damned thing that man did, let alone pertaining to something Kylo would consume. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

     Their Commander stood tall, intimidating, and maskless. His face was on display to the many white bucket-headed troopers that passed. But even behind the black screen of their own helmets, they didn’t dare look in Kylo Ren’s direction purely out of fear and the will to live to serve the First Order another day. Instead, their feet had seemed to become the most interesting thing in the galaxy. 

     Gloved fists were balled at his sides, boots heavily colliding with each tile, his stride long and rigid. It wasn’t the first time he ventured out of his rooms without donning his helmet. And unless he replaced it, it wouldn’t be the last. The sensation of being completely nude often came over him despite the layers of clothing his body was clad in. Ren was working to keep his expressions to a minimum. There was no blockade to keep those around him blind. They were curious and some were more brazen than others and had the gall to look at him. 

     But no other stare had left him feeling as naked as her's; the scavenger's. He couldn't remove the almond orbs from his thoughts. They swallowed him, spat him out, and consumed him again and each time he was left besotted. Even without the anonymity of his mask, the girl still found him monstrous. Like a creature. Perhaps if everyone saw him that way, a new helmet wouldn't be necessary. 

     As Ren rounded the corner to his destination, the recollection of how she'd preyed upon him caused him to wonder if she saw him in a new light. If she saw him as weak while resting on bent elbows, out of breath. And he still looked at her as if she were the sun, the moon, and the stars herself. He bid the thoughts away, disgruntled and and sickened by his own deficiency in those moments.

     The conference room was desolate, just as he wished his mind were, in the center of the oblong table, a Hololens. Within seconds of the new hour, his Supreme Leader’s form appeared before him and Kylo Ren was a machine of rising darkness and destruction again. Kylo stood straighter, hands behind his back before he bowed his torso in a stiff manner as he paid respect to his Master.

     “Kylo Ren.”

     His voice was seemingly less thunderous given the smaller setting. Kylo couldn't say that he minded. It certainly took some of the edge off of speaking to him. _Some_.

     “Supreme Leader,” He greeted, giving a single nod of his head. 

     “I have been visited by your Knights. They are awaiting your arrival. We are _all_ awaiting your arrival.”

     “I will be arriving within a day’s time, my Lord. We are traveling discreetly given the circumstances.”

     “Hmmm...It is wise and I suppose _convenient_ , in a way.”

     His prominent brow furrowed in response, head cocked as if to ask without words what exactly was being considered _convenient_ about any of this. Surely his Leader would explain why and it would dawn on Kylo that he had a very plausible reason to say such a thing. 

     “Convenient, Supreme Leader? How so?” His question was asked with genuine curiosity, brow quirked upward.

     Snoke folded his tendrils in his cloaked lap, a soft grumble coming from deep within his chest, a sound Kylo knew just how to decipher. He was not angered by his apprentice’s inquiry, but preparing to enlighten him. 

     “Your injuries were in need of healing, were they not? A few days care will leave you fresh and ready for the trials that come your way.” 

      _Trials_. Of course there were more, this Kylo knew. Getting rid of his father may have been the most difficult thus far along but Ren didn’t know just what to expect next. He was sure that nothing could stand in is way now that he'd proven he could eliminate even the people that were once the most important to him. He was willing. He was ready. Or so he’d convince himself in due time. Due time meaning within the next day. 

     “Of course, my Lord. I am ready to complete my training and with your guidance, I will. And I will not fail you again.”

     Another grumble of approval.

     “We shall see.”

     Kylo was left alone once again to ruminate on what tomorrow may bring. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Talons swathed themselves into the locks of chestnut hair, the grip unyielding. A howl was ripped from the depths of her chest and seemed quite appropriate echoing in the vast scope of the forest. And whether or not the scream was built on pure fear or an attempt to call for help, it grew. But that was before her head snapped back, eyes catching onto optics of gold and black._

_She could very well have had her neck snapped. But if she were to have been killed in that moment, the last thing she could have wanted to see was not that of the snarling monster above her. There was no control she had left over her body. Was she still screaming? Were her limbs still violently jerking about? The only thing she was sure of was the fierce tremor of the land around her, the ground perishing and making its descent into nothingness. The quaking hadn't let up but continued to increase with each moment that passed._ _His grip was relentless and bruising, his eyes wild, and his entire being seemingly uncaring toward the impending death circling them._

And then she was awake.

     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is starting off slow you guys. I gotta build up a bit of plot before we get to the good stuff. I've got a lot in store! I've whipped this chapter up within a few hours so I hope y'all enjoy. I'm also currently working on chapter three!
> 
> Come visit me at spacesmol-a.tumblr.com ! I'd love to chat about the story(:


	3. III

     The shaken form of the girl bolted upward from her sleeping state in a viscous jolt, surely giving herself whiplash in the process. Reflexes engaged, a position of defense was taken. Erratic was her breathing and unhinged was the look in her eyes. And rightfully so. Rey, regardless of how many times she had the dream in the span of a short while since the event occurred, was still obviously affected.

     The matted mass of fur at her side had taken a step away out of sheer fear that she’d tear off his arm just as he ripped the arm off of Unkar Plutt to defend Rey's honor. Karma wasn’t that quick, was it? His intention wasn’t to startle her, but she was clearly in distress, whimpering and wiggling like a smaller dog being chased by a wolf. Little did he know that the comparison wasn’t too far off from the reality of it. 

     Her petite chest heaved, pants flinging out from between her parted lips in wheezes and sweat in the form of beads trickled down her skin. With a harsh swallow, Rey’s sight drifted upwards and Chewie relaxed his arms at his side when he realized that she knew who he was. He was in the clear from any instinctive blows she may have given.

     Hands grasped at the edge of the circular table and worn cushion in which she’d found to be more comfortable than the captain’s chair the night before. All at once, but not soon enough, she was back on board the Falcon. 

     “I’m sorry, Chewie. I didn’t mean to lash out at you...but you can't _shake_ someone who's having a nightmare awake like that!” Rey huffed, running a hand through her disheveled hair.

     Chewie gave a sincere gurgle, both accepting her apology and making one of his own with the excuse that he was simply a worried companion. He even rested a a paw on her head, smoothing back her hair for the flustered young woman. A soft, almost silent, sigh was blown from her lips which twisted upward slightly in a light smile.  _Han was right_ , Chewie did like her. And she liked him right back. 

     As efficiently as she could manage, Rey regained her composure. There were more important things to get to today than to dwell. Albeit, for Rey to dwell on such a thing seemed as normal to her as blinking and breathing. 

     The demon of a memory made itself at home in a small apartment. However, it wasn’t small enough. Trepidation was inevitable and always there to remind her of how deeply it was rooted when she seemed to forget. But the plot of her dream would remain the back of her head, simmering; never freezing over, still kept below a boil. 

     Unlike the bubbling recollection, the morning air on the island was crisp and fresh against her nostrils as she deeply inhaled. Serene was the view from the ramp of the Falcon, tall grass dancing and the intricate structures of rocks on display. She hadn’t taken the time to really give them a good look upon arrival but she adjusted her staff against her back and stepped onto the land for the second time. 

     Rey trekked up the stairs embedded into the ground, bouncing briskly on the tips of her toes against the edges, her hues glued to the sky above. It was clear, free of clouds. And it had even taken her a few turns of her head before she found the location of the sun. It wasn't nearly as harsh as the cruel rays that beat down on the sands of Jakku. But there was something lingering powerfully in the atmosphere that was not the sun, something pulling her by an imperceptible lasso.

     Intuition took the reins and led her in the same path she took not a full day before. As if history were repeating itself, and Maker she really hoped it wouldn’t, she found herself atop the island once more staring into the back of Luke Skywalker. 

     The rope continued to lead her and her feet obliged, working in tandem until little more than a few feet remained between the Jedi and the scavenger. A breeze blew at his hoary mane, his cloak billowing all the same. He must find solace in this particular place. Rey hoped he did, hoped he could find complete peace there even if it were fleeting. No one deserved to live in an all-consuming pit of guilt and loneliness. 

      _Not even Rey_. 

     “You have much fear in you, young one.”

     A blink of her eyes and a slight cant of her head were the preliminary reactions to his remark. Could he sense the fear she attempted to hide away within her?

     “What?”

     “ _Fear_. It’s presence in you is significant.”

     History was most definitely **not** repeating itself for he spoke first and with purpose now, slowly but surely enlightening her. Unless his scrutiny was meant another way. Rey frowned, having made herself believe that she’d done a decent job at sheathing her fear under an abundance of layers beneath her. It was evident this wasn’t true.

     Rey opened her mouth to speak, to deny his claim, but shut it shorty after. There wasn't a point she could locate other than pride in hiding her fear or anything else for that matter. Rey had found in a previous experience that those inclined to the Force tended to be able to push past walls and peel away at masks to find the truth.

    Her mind hadn’t felt breached by Luke, she hadn’t felt threatened of uncomfortable. And She certainly didn’t feel the need to kick him where he stood and slice him from shoulder to hairline. Rather, Rey took his observations and opted to make use of them.

     “I-I can't help it. I've had much to fear.” 

     Luke turned to face her just as he had before. Though, this time around, the hesitance and pain in his expression were without a trace. Concern took over.

     “But you must.” He supplicated, as if it were one of the most imperative duties in the universe. “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.” 

     It had made sense, this domino effect of emotions and how they all seemingly ended up morphing together in the end.

     And Rey thought to herself,  _what if I’ve already reached that point?_ Fear of being alone, frustration of never being good enough turned hatred toward everything and every but nothing and no one, suffering in silence while tucked away in the rusting and withering AT-AT on Jakku for well over ten years of her life. 

     “Aren’t all of those emotions and feelings part of being human?” If they weren't, then she'd been going about it all wrong.

     “Not for a Jedi. Emotions as strong as hatred, anger, and fear have no room in the life of a Jedi. They are a Jedi’s downfall.”

    It hadn’t been her downfall. She taught herself to survive. She got up each morning and worked for portions that were hardly filling let alone edible. To _feel_ had not hindered her. Not too much, at least.

     Rey had half a mind to comment on his own suffering but elected against it out of better judgment. He wasn’t the monster who’d stolen her consciousness, chained her to a slab of cold durasteel and loomed over her, enforcing his almighty power and implicating entitlement to all she had to offer even if none of it was up for grabs.  _He could take whatever he wanted…_

     No, Luke was not  _him_ and he was not spiteful or pompously parading his clairvoyance to get a rise out of her.

     “What can I do to control it? My fear.”

     Luke exhaled, folding his hands behind his back and returning to the vast horizon of blue. “Meditation. Breathing and concentrating. Allow yourself, body and mind, to find solitude and it will make it more difficult for your emotions to get the best of you.”

     There was a hesitance in her step as she took the space beside him, feeling like a hypocrite for even taking a split second to debate it. Rey dropped her belongings to the ground, hands mimicking Luke’s and resting folded together on her back. Regardless of not knowing more than his reputation, Rey allowed herself to trust him during this exercise, closing her eyes. The heavy and tired orbs thanked her.

     A yawn escaped her mouth, her head weighing upon narrow shoulders. Rey was relaxing herself. Without sight, she quickly realized just how loudly the ambiance played, her ears compensating for what her eyes could not see. And if the crash of the waves or the soft blow of the grass were among the sounds Luke heard the day before while she stood in awkward silence waiting for simple acknowledgment, then she supposed he couldn’t have found their encounter awkward in the slightest.

     Sure, this was enjoyable and certainly a treat for Rey, but would it really teach her emotions obedience? From the corner of his eye, Luke peaked at the brunette’s profile. She was still fishing around in her head and Luke couldn’t stop himself from noting an underlying disturbance.  No comment was made. Alternatively, he faced forward and shut his prying eye, but never fully shutting his prying mind.

     All the while, the idea settled in on Rey that she needn’t worry about her surrounding so much as she did her own self. It wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t necessarily difficult. She’d spent the better half of her life, and it wasn’t all that great, with her own conscience as her best friend and at times, her own worst enemy. Sometimes she couldn’t stop the thoughts that crept from the outskirts of her mind onto center stage. Rey didn’t want to ponder upon things that perturbed her but, as luck would have it, ill thoughts of hers seemed to have developed a mind of their own.

 

     It was only some time later when a low growl rumbled in the pit of her stomach that Rey remembered where she was and what she was doing. And although Rey could use decades of tranquil cogitation, she knew how maddening hunger could make someone. But to find consolation from simply shutting her eyes and breathing in fresh air sounded all the more appealing now that she was exposed to how replenished it made her feel.

     “Have you eaten a meal yet, dear girl?” Luke queried, his tone suggesting that of worry but just short of the full meaning.

     Rey chewed down on her lip as she tried to recall what she’d last eaten. It was possibly a day earlier when she, Chewie, and R2 were an hour’s time away from the planet. Her stomach spoke again, this time more forcefully. It reminded her that what she ate was not nearly satisfying enough.

     “I’ve not been hungry.” No one could become immune to starvation. If it were possible, Rey would have survived and thrived on Jakku much better than she did.

     “We’ll eat. Come,”

With a nod of his head, Luke gestured for Rey to follow him down into the vacant village of huts which she presumed he occupied. Just earlier that morning Rey had sought to explore them and now, after making amends with Luke, her plans had come full circle. Though, he hadn’t quite agreed to train her yet. For now, she’d settle to be fed.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

     “I’m sure they’d be happy to see you again.  I know they’d be.”

     Fuller than she’d ever been in her life off of some kind of stew, Rey sat on the cool ground of Luke’s hut. It was cramped, crowded with just two people, a cot, and a chest with holobooks stacked on top. And Rey was in her AT-AT once again, the shoe box that it was. She smiled anyway, content and no longer tense from her _strenuous meditation_.

     “I will escort you back to the ship. And if Artoo and Chewbacca aren't ready to retire for the evening, I suppose I could say hello.”

     “They would _really_ appreciate that.” Rey assured him, knowing full well that Chewie would not hold off on wrapping his furry arms around the man and squeezing the force right out of him.

     The Jedi offered Rey something akin to a smile and Rey saw it as nothing less than pure happiness. His droid and the fur ball would surely be elated when Rey finally made her way back to the Falcon with Luke at her side. On their journey from the Resistance Base, Chewie regaled several tales of the past for her. When in the dead of space with nothing but time, Rey couldn’t have been more pleased to hear about Luke, the General, and the late Smuggler.

     It felt right to honor the three of them and the things they’d experienced right in the very seat in which Rey sat and piloted the ship.

     “Chewie!” Rey called. “Artoo!”

     Her call wasn’t that of distress but still, the pair rushed to the sound of her voice only to be met with the aged face of Luke Skywalker. Like she envisioned, Chewbacca made haste in engulfing him all while R2 beeped in an emotional song, nudging at his side. Chewie joined along, babbling of how he’s missed the old man.

     “I know, Chewie.” Luke replied, giving him a pat on the arm.

     Rey enjoyed their reunion from the sidelines, arms at rest by her side and the faintest of smiles on her lips. Oh, if only Leia were there. If only Han were there… she’d have paid to watch that. According to both Chewie and R2, Luke hadn't always been so stern and serious. He was a child no older than her when they'd all met. That fact alone was heartening. If Luke was but a teen when he began his training, then Rey could handle it as well.  That is, if he agreed to teach her. 

      Luke bend to R2’s height, his mechanical hand placed upon the slightly beaten exterior of the droid. Rey paused, the smile etched into her face eroded, her body stiffening into a rigid plank. This disturbance caught Luke’s attention, causing him to turn. She was in a trance, the simple, triggering, image taking form of the vision she experienced while on Takodana. There were several differences from this happy moment and the vision and it really should not have set her off the way it had.

     “Rey?” He uttered.

     Orbs blankly glazed over in stupor for a moment longer, Rey gave Luke her attention. Her mouth parted to speak, to explain, but she found his knowledge of who she was to have outranked all else in importance. 

    “How did you know my name?” She asked in a soft voice, brow furrowed. It really wasn’t that large of a deal, but she hadn’t yet given him her name.

     “I have foreseen your arrival.” He admitted with ease. 

     “You _knew_ I was coming.” Rey confirmed.

     “Yes, I could feel it through the Force.”

     “And you know who I am. What else do you know?”

     Now Chewie and R2 were left to watch the revelation transpire into what it may. They'd spent their journey talking Rey's ear off with a tell all verbal pamphlet on Luke Skywalker, but she felt he may have known equal parts her and she did him. But Luke was not entertaining her series of inquiries tonight.

     With a sigh, his head falling, he spoke. “We will talk in the morning, Rey. Meet me at dawn on the cliff.”

     Rey’s expression contorted, looking like a small child being told that all of the fairy tales she believed in were just stories; nothing more, nothing less. Except that it was quite the opposite for her. All of the tales she was told were true after all and Luke knew more about them than he let on. More about _her_ than he let on.

     With nothing left to say or do, Luke trailed back to his hut, leaving the trio with a nod of his head, bidding them all a good night and leaving Rey, mouth agape and stupefied. The girl waited until the Jedi was out of her line of sight before making her way back indoors, sulking and slumping into the captain’s chair in the cockpit where she would relay the progress of the day to Leia. Even if she did feel she was now backtracking.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_When sleep devoured the stress that coated her, it befouled the dream she'd fallen into. She was in his grasp and he watched her struggle, an excited glint in his ravenous optics. He was a snake, strangling his mouse, taunting, pursuing. But before consumption, they were awake. Rey survived another night so she could endure their next encounter._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Leave me some comments maybe on what y'all think so far?


	4. IV

     Only about an hour’s worth of sleep was had by the distraught girl according to the time. She groaned, already feeling a dull headache coming on. The remainder of the early hours of the still dark morning were spent sat in the cockpit of the Falcon alone, head in her hands as she listened to the soft and steady snoring of Chewie.

     Rey contemplated whether or not there was any real reason, other than it being a basic necessity of course, that she should even attempt to sleep. Every time her lids shut and her body rested she was visited, haunted, by that recurring nightmare. She was asleep in body, but never completely in mind. Especially not while on the run through the perpetual forest.

     She’d started to believe there really was no way out. Because even in broad daylight when she was conscious, he would leave her thoughts. And if he did, it wasn't for long. 

     It certainly hadn’t helped her unwind in the wake of Luke’s brief, but substantial, slipped revelation. He’d only called her by her name and it really shouldn’t have been as big of a deal to her as it was. However, Rey hadn’t introduced herself.

     It might’ve been rude in retrospect but then again, Rey hadn’t done much introducing in her life. No one cared to know Rey on Jakku. Her findings among the dunes of sand were more interesting to Jakku's inhabitants that she was. And Rey was oddly okay with being a recluse regardless of how lonely she was. In her mind, she was still a no one despite everything. It would take her mind a bit longer to catch up with her body.

     An audible and quite sharp inhalation of breath was made when the notion that the Jedi could have possibly known of her family came about. It frightened and excited her all at once because there was just as much possibility that he knew as there was that he didn’t.

     Maker, it was all she’d wanted; to know who her family was and when they’d return to her. She hadn’t lost track of how long she was without them, each tally scribbled into the wall of her AT-AT’s durasteel stomach she could recall creating.

     Too many thoughts, fleeting and settled, maneuvered their way into her aching head. The girl just wanted peace and meditation couldn’t bring it to her. She was stuck on Luke and what he may or may not know. It left her restless.

     And so, seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours before the break of dawn came. Rey was already hiking to their meeting spot before the Sun rose over the horizon. She was eager to say the least.

 

     Luke was good on his word, already waiting for Rey. It was the third time she made this short voyage up the mountain and Force, she hoped it was going to be the charm. The day before's progress was light years better than the first but there needed to be a breakthrough between the pair. 

     Rey stopped short of the man, taking in the back of his form before occupying the space at his side just as she had the morning previous.

     “The early mornings are the most serene, my personal favorite setting to meditate in.”

     Rey tried to remain collected, and thus, took her own stance of meditation. But it would only last for so long before even Luke would be able to sense her disquietude. Luckily, he’d only taken another few moments of silence before turning to her.

     “I suppose you aren’t interested in meditation this morning.” Rey shook her head in confirmation of his remark.

     “Then we will walk. There is much to talk about.”

 

     The pace at which they strode was slow, calming. The girl glanced between Luke and the dewy grass below, simply waiting.

     “I have been waiting for your arrival. Only days ago, I felt a tremor in the Force. They aren’t uncommon, but I had not felt one in...years.” Luke mused. “The saber was my father’s, one of our common connections.”

     Rey cocked a light brow. “What connection do I share with your father’s saber?”

     “It called to you, did it not?” So he did hear her.

     “Yes, but why? Why did it call to me?”

     Either Luke did not know the answer, or the answer he did know, he wasn’t willing to share.

     He claimed the former.

     “I can’t say I know why that happened, child. But I do know that everything has reasoning behind it. Even if we cannot see it at the time.”

     Rey’s brow creased, thinking of ways to explain just what she saw upon touching the saber. It was a vision. Whether it was the past, the present, the future, all three combined, true or false, she could not say.

     “When I touched the lightsaber, it...” A pause to collect her thoughts, “it was almost as if it sent me into another time or multiple times. I saw my younger self, I saw who I thought were you and Artoo---”

     “And did my reunion with Artoo last night inadvertently provoke you into remembering the vision? That was why you reacted that way?” He wasn’t surprised in the slightest so much as he was trying to piece together why she’d gone into that daze.

     “It might have caused that, yes. But that wasn’t what disturbed me.”

     The ghosted sound of screaming hadn’t fallen upon deaf ears, nor had the several stock still bodies lain across the ground like leaves fallen from trees fallen upon blind eyes. Though, they weren’t the focal point of her fear.

_He stalked forward, each step sending a quake through the ground as he surged to her. She was sure that death was well on it’s way._

     All the while, Luke patiently waited for Rey to continue, knowing by the fraught face she pulled that she was deep in thought. The young woman could hardly attempt to articulate what she saw.

     “I was surrounded by death. I think he killed all of those people...”

     Luke’s aged eyes were wide with anticipation. Though, he was beginning to think he knew exactly what she’d seen in the vision. Even he had yet to voice the true horror he’d witnessed that night. But still he needed to know for sure what she had on her mind.

     “Who, Rey?”

     Rey was loath to speak his name aloud, jaw clenched and green orbs aggrieved. 

     “ _Kylo Ren_.”

     She spat the name as if it were poison stinging at her tongue, it's acid slowly burning away her teeth. The very thought of him left her sickened, her insides coiling. He was the epitome of a monster, the conductor of her night terrors, and the thoughts that ate away at her. 

     Luke shut his eyes, head dipping downward, a small sigh sneaking from his lips between his thick facial hair.

     “He was my apprentice once. Though, he didn’t go by that name when he was just my nephew.”

     Rey didn’t know what to address first: the fact that Kylo used to be Luke’s apprentice (she wondered how things went awry) or that Kylo did not used to be _Kylo_. She decided that she’s seek answers for both.

     That was, until, Rey pulled together her knowledge and came to a nauseating inference.

     “Kylo Ren was the apprentice that---”

     “Yes.”

     Rey swallowed, averting her eyes from the still grieving Jedi. The loss of one life could be mourned for years. The weight of several lives to mourn must have been almost unbearable. And the lives taken by a loved one, **_family_**. It was really no wonder Luke felt guilt as immensely as he did. His apprentices were gone, and his nephew fallen into the pits of the Dark Side. A utterly eerie silence fell over the pair. 

     Regardless of her desire to know more, Rey didn’t want to press the obviously still sensitive topic. That, and the less she knew or heard of Kylo Ren, the better (even if she did repress the mild fascination for him deep down).

     "Then I suppose my vision was of the past." She summed it up to that and there was nothing more to say on the matter because all she'd seen had already happened. 

     Luke grunted lightly in response and rather than switch to an entirely new topic, Rey allowed for a brief cessation of their conversation. The soft sounds of the island were calming. More than she gave them credit for. 

     “So...the _Force_ wanted me to find your father’s saber and use it?” It was what happened, after all. And she did win that battle...just not the war.

     "You wielded the saber?" His wiry, thick brow twitched upward. 

      _Damn well too for a beginner_ she thought, suppressing a grin.

     "Against Ren, yes. I had to defend myself when he came after my friend and I." Luke hummed.

     "Then I suppose it wished to be put to use. Maker only knows how long it was hiding away in that...chest, did you say? 

     Rey gave a nod of her head and Luke exhaled.

     “The Force works in mysterious ways."

     Up until a week or so ago, Rey didn't think the Force _worked_ at all. But Luke was right. It was mysterious, concocting a plan that sent Rey into orbit about the galaxy in a chaotic whirl. And what it all meant was still yet to be deciphered. All she knew was that she was being guided down a path of which called to her. And if it called, was there any other choice but to answer? 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

     Nearing what felt like the end of their discussion, and they'd discussed quite a bit, Rey couldn't put out the question burning in the back of her mind.

     “Would you---do you happen to know anything more about who I am?” It was one of many questions that were prodding at her since the night before. What was the harm in asking even if Luke didn’t know anything?

_Oh yes, being sent back to square one...well, close to it._

     Hands folded behind his back, vision drifting to the brunette, his expression indecipherable. That worried Rey.

     “I’m no crystal gazer, Rey.”

     “But you knew I was coming here. You knew my name.” She argued.

     “The tremor in the Force was what caught my attention. I wanted to hone in and see what had caused it. I only caught the tail end of your journey.”

     Displeased, Rey’s eyes found the ground, toeing at small pebbles in her path. She couldn’t say she didn’t see that coming. It would have been too easy for her to have found all of the answers she could ever want all within Luke. There was no animosity, though.

     “And it isn’t often I get visitors. I could sense that hunk of junk coming from light years away.”

     Rey smiled at her feet but it faded a but too quickly. Luke made note of her crestfallen state and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder.

     "Worry not about your past, young one. Before you find others, you must first find yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I concluded that between the time Rey and Finn met on Jakku and Rey leaving for Ahch-To, it summed up to about a week. I figured they'd need to prepare Rey a bit and do some maintenance on the Falcon, probably get her some medical attention. 
> 
> Just to clarify! Rey is aware that Kylo is the son of Han and Leia and the nephew of Luke. But that's about all she new of him thus far along. 
> 
> I have up to chapter ten mapped out. I promise it's going to pick up and y'all will ge your Reylo. Believe me, I want it too.

**Author's Note:**

> Stick with me. I'm nervous but I think I've got a good thing going. I'm going to try and update as often as possible. But remember that words of encouragement really do work(: Thanks for reading!
> 
> Feel free to come bug me on spacesmol-a.tumblr.com ! I'm currently moving my blog and it's an archive, but come talk to me!


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